Posted on 09/22/2004 4:49:00 AM PDT by naturalized
Three weeks ago, New Braunfels resident Col. Walter Staudt became a national figure, albeit a silent one.
Ever since he was named in a controversial memo CBS aired purporting to prove that President George W. Bushs Texas Air National Guard service record was sugar-coated due to political pressure, Staudt has been bombarded by reporters wanting him to verify or disavow those claims.
When the phone rings, he does not answer, and when someone comes to the door, he only opens it a crack.
I counted up to 40 calls last Monday, but I probably got 50 or 60 phone calls that day, he said. Lots of them even come to the door.
Staudt, 81, has only given interviews to ABC and the Herald-Zeitung.
He is not trying to be rude, but he has answered these questions before.
The subject started when (Bushs) daddy ran for vice president, and its been going on ever since, he said. I dont have much to tell. Its simple to me. There was no political influence. Thats the truth.
(Excerpt) Read more at herald-zeitung.com ...
I guess a lot of people don't know of the German influence here in Texas.
They have German festivals here:
Texas Best German Festival
- Wurstfest
New Braunfels, Texas
800-221-4369
10 days in November
130,000+ visitors. Food, music, dancing, arts and crafts and much more.- Germanfest
Muenster, Texas
Last weekend in April
Food, bike rally, and run. 50,000 attend annually.- Westfest
West, Texas
817-826-5058
Labor Day
Each year some 40,000 people converge on the Central Texas town of West and enjoy a family blend of food, culture, dance and just plain Czechoslovakian fun!
I would like to thank you all for educating me about the German influence in Texas. I didn't know.
Ft. Meyers FL has a big German community too. Has a German language newspaper as well. No big deal.
>>Admiral Nimetz was born in Fredricksburg, which is smack in the German settlement area, and a neat place to visit...
Yes, in particular, the Nimitz Museum of the Pacific War is well worth visiting. I took my son there 3-4 years ago, while we were in San Antonio for a week for a convention.
You're welcomed. Living here all these years, I've see stuff on TV and the
papers from time to time. So unless one lives here or studied Texas History,
hardly anyone would really know that.
HUge german area from the 1800's
Most people don't even know that the first Polish settlement in the US was in Texas as well at Panna Maria, about 65 miles outside of San Antonio. And up in West, near Waco, is a large Czech community as well. Texas is much more diverse than most people think.
You guys are leaving out the best water park in the world - Schlitterbahn, which is German for slippery road.
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